FASHION CITY - Where Milan

Museums & Attractions
Home Museums in Milan
A cumulative ticket is
available for the four
historic home museums,
all situated in the centre of
Milan (adults €15, reduced
€10). The Bagatti Valsecchi
Museum, the Boschi Di
Stefano Home Museum,
the Villa Necchi Campiglio
and the Poldi Pezzoli
Museum (see also pages
71, 72, 74) are fascinating
places that all have one
thing in common, namely
the generosity of their
founders, who opened
their homes and art
collections to the public.
Visitors will have a chance
free the second Sunday of the month. www.
fondazionearnaldopomodoro.it. Via Solari, 35.
T: 02 89075394. M2 Sant’Agostino. Map c6
FOndazione forma – Instituted by the historic
Italian photographic agency “Contrasto”, in just
5 years this multi-functional facility has become
a reference point for important photographic
exhibitions. Open daily from 11am-9pm and till
11pm on Thurs and Fri. www.formafoto.it. Piazza T. L.
Caro. T: 02 89075420. M2 Porta Genova F2. off map
fondazione prada – This is a space dedicated
to innovative projects by contemporary artists,
established in 1993 by arts patron Miuccia
Prada and her husband Patrizio Bertelli, heads
of one of the most famous fashion brands in
the world. Home to installations and temporary
exhibitions, Prada’s mission is to make it a temple
of “accessible culture” for the city. Opening times
and information vary according to the exhibitions
on show. www.fondazioneprada.org. Via A.
Fogazzaro, 36. OFF map
GALLERIA D’ARTE MODERNA –
Boasting 2,700 paintings and 700 sculptures,
this Galleria inaugurated in 1921 is above all a
“nineteenth century museum” hosting mainly
Italian and French works of art. Set against the
beautifully elegant backdrop of the Villa Reale,
with its magnificent English garden. Open daily
9am-1pm/2pm-5.30pm. Closed on Mondays. Free
admission. www.comune.milano.it. Via Palestro,
16. T: 02 76340809 (10am-noon/3pm-4pm).
M1 Palestro, M3 Turati. Map G3
to learn more about the
personal stories and tastes
of their owners – a reflection
of the evolution and
transformation of Milanese
society.
www.casemuseomilano.it
Villa Necchi Campiglio
Via Mozart, 14 – T: 02 76340121
Open Wed to Sun from 10am to 6pm
On Tues open only to groups with reservations
Full price tickets €8.00
www.fondoambiente.it
GIANNI COMENCINI MUSEUM OF CINEMA –
Set against the evocative backdrop of the
historic Palazzo Dugnani, this inspiring journey
through the magic of cinema allows you to
discover the secrets of motion pictures with all
its multi-faceted cultural, historical and social
aspects. Contains memorabilia and important
documentation regarding the evolution of
cinema in Milan and the rest of the world
including film excerpts and equipment used by
the Lumière brothers and George Méliès. Open
Fri, Sat, Sun 3pm-7pm. Full ticket price €3. www.
cinetecamilano.it. Via D. Manin, 2b. T: 02 6554977.
M2 Moscova, M3 Turati. Map G3
HISTORIC CIVIC ARCHIVES AND TRIVULZIANA
LIBRARY – Hosted inside the Castello Sforzesco.
The library can be accessed to examine
parchments, documents, records and prints.
The Historic Archive preserves all the acts of the
Municipality of Milan and of the Duchy dating
back as far as 1385. Open Mon-Fri 9am-noon/
1.30pm-4.30pm. www.comune.milano.it. Piazza
Castello, 1. T: 02 88463694. M1 Cairoli. Map E4
LEONARDO DA VINCI NATIONAL MUSEUM
OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY – Found in a
16th century monastery, this is one of the most
important museums of science and technology
in the world. Its collections, featuring cars, aircraft,
ships, scooters, trains, reconstructions of ancient
workshops for metalworking, clock-making right
through to electronics, textiles and astronomy,
explore the relationship between men and
machines starting from the ingenious inventions
of the world famous Leonardo da Vinci who lived
in Milan between 1482 and 1500. Open Wed,
Thurs, Fri 10am-5.30pm; Sat, Sun and Holidays
10am-6.30pm. Full ticket price €8 + Guided tour
inside the Enrico Toti submarine €10.
www.museoscienza.org. Via San Vittore, 21.
T: 02 48555558. M2 Sant’Ambrogio. Map C5
MANZONI’S HOUSE – Former home of the author,
Alessandro Manzoni, second in Italian literature
only to Dante, he lived here for about sixty years
until his tragic death in 1873. Beautifully restored
in the ‘70’s, its wonderful interior is still preserved
with all its original furnishings. The house also
boasts a large library with over 30,000 books,
including the complete works of Manzoni
himself. Open Tues-Sun 9am-noon/2pm-4pm.
Free admission. www.museodimilano.mi.it.
Via G. Morone, 1. T: 02 86460403. M1-M3 Duomo.
Map F4
MILAN MUSEUM – Dedicated to the urban and
social development of Milan between the 17th
and 18th centuries, at the beginning of March
2010, the collection was enriched with collections
of historic garments originating from the Castello
Sforzesco’s Applied Arts Collection. Open Tues-
Sun 9am-1pm/2pm-5.30pm. Free admission.
www.museodimilano.mi.it. Via Sant’Andrea, 6.
T: 02 88465933/76006964. M1 San Babila;
M3 Montenapoleone. Map G4
MUSEO BAGATTI VALSECCHI – Located in the heart
of Milan, this museum/house is one of the best
preserved in Europe. Its evocative rooms house
precious Renaissance collections: paintings,
sculptures, weapons and armour, ceramics,
jewellery and tapestries. Open Tues-Sun (except
holidays) 1pm-5.45pm. Full price ticket €8 (€4 on
Wednesdays). www.museobagattivalsecchi.org.
Via Santo Spirito 10/Via Gesù, 5.
T: 02 76006132/76014857. M1 San Babila,
M3 Montenapoleone. Map G4
MUSEO DEI POPOLI E DELLE CULTURE – The
Peoples and Cultures Museum, founded in 1910,
is devoted to Oriental art and ethnographic
objects. On display, numerous objects linked to
the world of Asian religion, collected by Catholic
missionaries over the centuries. Open Mon-Fri
9am-12.30am/2pm-6pm. Free admission. Via M.
Bianchi, 94. T: 02 48009191. M1 Lotto. OFf map
MUSEO DEL CASTELLO SFORZESCO –
Antique art, paintings, period furniture, sculptures
and musical instruments are housed in Castello
Sforzesco’s precious treasure trove. The building
alone is well worth a visit. Rooms 9, 10, 15, 23, 24
not accessible to the disabled. Tues-Sun 9am-
5.30pm (admission until 5pm), closed on Mondays
(holidays included). Full price ticket €3. Free
admittance: every day except Fri after 4.30pm; Fri
2pm-5.30pm; always free for children under 18.
www.milanocastello.it. Piazza Castello, 3.
T: 02 88463703. M1 Cairoli. Map E4
MUSEO DIOCESANO – This museum of religious
arts, whose new headquarters were inaugurated
in 2001, hosts 600 works dating back to the 4th
century A.D. By maximizing their historic and
religious meanings, it preserves and promotes
the valuable art treasures belonging to the
“Diocese”, with smaller pieces collected from
Church museums and treasuries across Lombardy.
72 W H E R E M I L A N I NO VEMBER 2010